If you grew up hearing horror stories from your own mom, about how sick she was when pregnant with you, assuming your mom's not given to exaggeration, well then, you may be in trouble.

New research shows that your risk of developing hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), otherwise known as severe morning sickness, while pregnant, could be linked in your genetic code. Study researchers found that if your own mom or sister suffered from severe morning sickness while pregnant, then you're way more likely to suffer as well. According to the study, women with sisters who had HG were 17 times more likely to also develop HG. The Mayo Clinic notes that morning sickness affects an estimated 50 to 90% of all , pregnant women, but severe morning sickness, or HG, which can even require hospitalization and treatment with intravenous (IV) fluids and medications, affects very few women in the population. In fact the American Pregnancy Association estimates that just 1% of women suffer from HG.

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* Source That's kind of sucky news no? However, there's good news too. According to researchers, this finding could provide a key to treating HG more successfully. Because if genes are involved, as the study suggests, finding those genes may allow researchers to better understand why some women suffer from severe morning sickness while others don't. This also could allow for the design of new treatments.